The Band of Loyalty

King, Sir and their hosts crossed over the mountains into Changeling territory. Scootaloo couldn't believe that she was actually flying, let alone the fact that she was barely slowing Rainbow down at all. Sir had extended her wings by infusing his own into them, and against all sense, she was able to flap her tiny wings and stay airborne with little effort. She was finally up above the clouds without needing somepony to hold her there or something for her hooves to stand on. It was a euphoric feeling.

"I never thought I'd see you up this high, Scoots," smiled Rainbow. "I've dreamed of this day for years, now. I only wish you didn't have to be possessed to achieve it."

"You've been dreaming of this moment!?" squealed Scootaloo. "I've been waiting my whole life for this!"

"How's it feel?"

"Are you kidding?" She pulled back and flew in a loop. "This is better than sex!"

"I wouldn't say that," chuckled King. "You'll be over it in no time, trust me."

"Don't trust him," argued Rainbow. "Make your own decision, but for now, relish in this achievement. You're doing great, Scoots."

"Thanks, Rainb--" Scootaloo was interrupted by a green magic missile blasting next to her shoulder, with Sir taking over just in time to pull her out of the way. Turning their gaze down to where the volley had originated, they saw several more bolts flying up to meet them. King and Sir immediately took control, as this was their fight.

They dove into the fray, deftly dodging the blows of the changelings. As they weren't trying to invade, they'd not planned to infiltrate with their transmutation skill. Even if they did try to cover up, they would need to find somepony close to the one they were trying to fool, and a probe into these two revealed that they were incubi. There was only one course of action the changelings could take, and that was to work together to take the demons down.

Several of the changelings that had been shooting at them ran off as the incubi came closer, but most of them stayed, using every tool at their disposal to subdue their assailants. They were dangerous on their own, but a fully functioning incubus, if properly contained, was a vast food source for them.

Unfortunately for the changelings, King and Sir had both grown in power enough to be capable of performing magic, much in the same way unicorns do. This filled the field with arcane blasts not only from the changelings, but from the smooth foreheads of the pegasi, as well. Fire, lightning and frost flew out in every direction, cutting swathes through the changeling forces as they went.

All was going well until the changelings that had left returned, with an army at their backs. They were right in the middle of three nests, and as such, they were surrounded on three sides. Three large swarms descended on the two, and while they put up a valiant effort, the two incubi were soon overwhelmed.

It wasn't hard to determine which of the two was in charge, as there was more love in King's veins, so Sir was locked in a pod, while King still had his face exposed. He did have to hang upside down, but at least he could move his jaw. His magic had been sealed off, as well. He was meant to be interrogated, and then scrapped for food.

"I'm surprised you didn't sense us beneath you, demon," came a chiding voice. "It's also uncommon that you'd be working together with another of your kind. You'd want to keep all of those ponies' love to yourself, I'd think. I also refuse to believe that you'd come into our territory blindly, especially considering how fat you are from your current nest."

King recognized the voice from his last reign. "As always, listening to your voice is starting the torture on the highest setting," he chuckled. "Please, dial it back to red hot pokers, Mandi."

"You're very informal with a queen, demon. What's worse, You seem to be quite mistaken." As his pod turned around, King found himself looking at a different changeling queen than what he'd expected. "I am Queen Chrysalis, though you seem to have known my predecessor. You must be one of the few she didn't manage to kill. Judging by your mismatched genitals, you're not the same gender as your host. What's more, I've met your host. That narrows it down. So, are you Master, King, or Milord?"

King was surprised. The heir of Queen Mandible, bane of demons, had captured him and strung him up. "Does it really matter which one I am? Does it matter whether I'm actually one of those three, or just some random demon?"

"If you don't want to answer the question, we can skip ahead to the part where I extract all of your love right now. Much has changed in the last few thousand years. We don't actually need you around to feed off of you. We can store it away, now. I'm sure the ponies you've enslaved would be very grateful to be freed."

As King stared into her eyes, he could sense no deceit. She was very much capable of dismantling him. "I am King."

"And your friend?"

"Sir."

"Not one that I would recognize, then. I'll make sure to label you as such when I put you away." Her horn glowed, and King could feel a fraction of his power being taken away. It was sucked out of his mouth into a small vessel. "One down, a thousand to go."

Even losing that small amount was something that King felt. It was daunting to him that not only could she make good on her threat, she was very willing. In his current state, he didn't stand a chance. As another piece was taken from him, he gasped out one word. "Wait!"

Chrysalis was known for her patience, sometimes taking months to put together even a simple plan if the results were powerful enough. She was already planning to spend days picking them both apart, piece by piece, and a few moments listening to a desperate plea suited her fancy just fine. "Go on," she urged, ceasing her activity.

King took a moment to catch his breath. "I was in the process of taking over Equestria. If you help me, I'll make sure you have plenty of love for yourself and your colony. In fact, how would you like to have the entirety of the Crystal Empire?"

Chrysalis thought for a moment, rubbing her chin with delight. "I wouldn't mind shoving it in the face of that whore princess that drove me out of Canterlot." She smiled and cut King down from the ceiling. "Tell me more."